A Nanaimo woman who grew up in Qualicum Beach hopes to impress some ‘dragons’ with her garden multi-tool.
Jen Gibb, a landscaper who owns the business Beyond the Fence, will appear on the CBC TV show Dragons’ Den on Feb.7.
Gibb’s product is the Eazyway garden multi-tool that she invented after she was in a car accident a few years ago.
“My mobility just wasn’t the same,” Gibb said. “When I got back to work I noticed I was always flipping my (garden) tool over instead of bending over… my idea kind of started from there.”
The Eazyway multi-tool has a telescopic aluminum handle with a rubberized grip. What makes this tool different, Gibb said, is it has removable implements at both ends that can be customized to the user’s preference.
Gibb said the tool is easy to store, so works well for urban communities, smaller gardens or for people who are taking public transit or riding their bikes to a community garden.
“Also because of the telescopic handle it helps prevent you to reach or get down on your hands and knees, so it’s adjustable for all different sizes and all different types of jobs,” Gibb said.
She added that if one part of the tool breaks it can be replaced separately without having to purchase a whole new tool.
Gibb said she went through several prototypes, taking them to local businesses for feedback, before landing on one she was happy with.
“My next thing I thought was ‘I’m going to audition for Dragons’ Den,’ so I went over to Vancouver, auditioned, they called me and said ‘you’ve made it to the next round,’” Gibb said.”So I went to Toronto on April 27 (for filming) and then I just found out on Monday that I’ve made it onto the show.”
Gibb couldn’t talk specifics of what the judges thought of her project or what happened during filming.